300-Pound Menorah Stolen From Brookline Temple Found In West Roxbury

BROOKLINE (CBS) – A Menorah stolen from a temple in Brookline was found in Boston Wednesday morning.

Brookline police say the 300-pound Menorah, taken from Temple Emeth on Grove Street, was found around 6 a.m. at Church and Weld streets in West Roxbury.

There have been no arrests.

Rabbi Alan Turetz of Temple Emeth standing next to a 300-pound Menorah that was stolen and found overnight. (Photo credit: Gary Brode – WBZ-TV)

“I’ve been the rabbi of Temple Emeth since 1977 and I must tell you we’ve never to my knowledge had any kind of vandalism here,” Rabbi Alan Turetz told WBZ-TV.

The six-foot-tall Menorah is one of two that have stood outside Temple Emeth for decades.

The Menorah was stolen from the front of Temple Emeth in Brookline. (WBZ-TV)

Brookline police think scrap metal thieves may be responsible, because of the size of the Menorah, but they haven’t eliminated the possibility it was a hate crime.

“I do think it’s possibly, likely a crime having to do more with theft than hate, but the police are very carefully looking into every possible angle,” the rabbi said. “Police said that these scrap metal thieves or these thieves that take metals, generally go in the middle of the night, that’s when they steal things. There’s a pattern and they’re familiar with the pattern and it’s current.”

The Menorah was found less than mile from the temple hours after being taken.

“I think that the police feel that the weight of it and also the fact that it’s so recognizable made the thieves feel that they just better get rid of it,” Turetz said.

The 300-pound Menorah was returned to Temple Emeth Wednesday morning. (WBZ-TV)

The Menorah was damaged, but Rabbi Turetz believes they will be able to repair it.

Hanukkah, the eight day festival of lights in the Jewish faith, begins at sundown on Sunday, December 2.

Veterans Memorials are destroyed [most recent in Dorchester plus many more statewide] but that is just vandalism to society. Jewish Menorah is destroyed and it is a hate crime. No equality apparently. Both acts should be investigated as hate crimes but Veterans are second class citizens nowadays in fake media.

As much as I respect my Father and Brother, and other family members who have servers, Veterans are not a race. Hate crimes are based on hate of a race, like Jewish people. If you want to make hate crimes against Military Veterans a crime you would need to pass a new law.